Here in Brazil, the Capoeira it's not just a dance, the dancing aspects were used to decieve the slavemasters. When they have a "roda" (fighting circle), they choose if it's a "jogo" (game, just to practice) or "à vera" (full contact with a lot of injuries). My brother-in-law is a "contramestre", with almost 20 years of Capoeira. And when he fights à vera, he is a freaking monster.

Sounds rad, any chance you could film one of his fights/sparring sessions? I for one would like to see a capoeira fight like that.

Here in Brazil, the Capoeira it's not just a dance, the dancing aspects were used to decieve the slavemasters. When they have a "roda" (fighting circle), they choose if it's a "jogo" (game, just to practice) or "à vera" (full contact with a lot of injuries). My brother-in-law is a "contramestre", with almost 20 years of Capoeira. And when he fights à vera, he is a freaking monster.

I often hear about this sort of thing and got into a serious argument on MAP about it, but I have to wonder, couldn't the first guy to drop the dance and just start fighting win the fight if two guys are trying to fight with capoeira? I've played in the roda a couple of times in Japan and while I'm by no means good, I saw opportunities to launch a simple low round kick or teep or hell, a good stiff jab to the face that of course couldn't be thrown in the context of the jogo but sure seem preferable to continuing to ginga and get my jaw broken with a queixada. (I have no idea how to spell that last one.)

It seems to me that the Sanjuriu Martial Art is not in guestion, but, rather the character of Mr. Galt.
-AkidoMom

It's been pretty well answered, but Chun and Aikido don't have an answer for naked, raw aggression.

Aikido throws require a compliant partner. The chun lacks power b/c of its stance. Look up kinetic linking. Boxing, Muay Thai, Kickboxing etc generate power through it. The triangle stance is immoble, and prone to tackles...beyond its inability to properly engage the hips.

Things that seem painful, can be quite bearable when someone's adrenaline is up. A backfist in the nose would suck. During a thing, it would practically be a gift. Wade through it and give the magical right straight, left hook response.

WC's center line stuff ignores the effectiveness of attacks to the sides. Hook punches, roundhouse kicks, feints are also unaccounted for. If the chun techniques are geared towtoward making contact, at the expense having both hands guarding the head, then it can be exploited.

Jab, left hook undoes the chun. Anything feinting down the middle, and attacking from the side.

I often hear about this sort of thing and got into a serious argument on MAP about it, but I have to wonder, couldn't the first guy to drop the dance and just start fighting win the fight if two guys are trying to fight with capoeira? I've played in the roda a couple of times in Japan and while I'm by no means good, I saw opportunities to launch a simple low round kick or teep or hell, a good stiff jab to the face that of course couldn't be thrown in the context of the jogo but sure seem preferable to continuing to ginga and get my jaw broken with a queixada. (I have no idea how to spell that last one.)

That's what usually happens, they stop dancing a little e start to use the kicks in a more usual way, but they still using some ginga (de dancing moves) to add spin power to the kicks. Queixada is spelled key-sha-da and the meaning is "chin breaker". But when they stop dancing, they raise the guard, looks like a boxer waving with more footwork.